Why in the world wouldn't a hockey fan want the game to improve and grow? Locking other countries out of the CHL doesn't help anything.... it doesn't improve or grow the sport for anyone, including Canada. Competition is good.

Look at how much the game improved once it gained traction in Europe, and players from Russia, Sweden, Finland etc, started coming over. Everyone benefits from it.

You can't turn hockey into "only Canada's game" if you want it to ever actually matter on a global scale.

Exactly. I for one couldn't be that depressed if say Finland missed the QF in the olympics in favor of Switzerland if Switzerland ended up winning the whole tournament. I don't want that the top 4-5 teams ahead of Finland to get worse, I just want us to get better. Infact, I don't want a top-7 of teams, I wish it were a top-25 with all teams having the chance to beat any other team within that group.

Okay. The guy that created this thread is a perfect example of a little canadian kid that have grown up listning to Don Cherry. Cant you see how he how he ruins your kids?

I gre up listening and loving Cherry, yet I can see clear as day this guy is a xenophobic A-hat.

I am going to assume he is either in his golden year and doesn't know any better, or is a young child, taking Cherrys latest rant as gospel, unable to form his own opinion. If neither of those, we'll then that's just sad

Ideas like this are absolutely irrational and just sore loser syndrome. The import players give our junior league some extra talent and it's awesome to watch them. The system has been working fine, but now that we've lost a few times in a row, some fans want to take our ball and go home. I love my country, but when it comes to losing at hockey, there are too many babies.

I gre up listening and loving Cherry, yet I can see clear as day this guy is a xenophobic A-hat.

I am going to assume he is either in his golden year and doesn't know any better, or is a young child, taking Cherrys latest rant as gospel, unable to form his own opinion. If neither of those, we'll then that's just sad

Same here. The guy is a moron.

This is a terrible idea. Why would you want to water down the competition in the best junior league in the world? How would that help Canadian players at all? Isn't it better that these 2 positions available on each team are taken by players who can make an impact in the league, rather than riding the pine like the kids who are cut would be doing?

And isn't the fact that so many non-Canadian kids are coming over to play in this league a compliment to the CHL and how highly thought of it is around the world? Don Cherry has to get out of WW2 and into reality. Nobody cares about differences from 70 years ago, Don. The world has moved on and maybe it will be a better place without you.

Nice to see the OP getting nicely owned. The suggestion here is basically that Canada should make it's own player development slightly worse just to make other countries slightly worse as well. I think I'm safe in saying that this is bad for everyone. For those who come in here trumpeting the NCAA though, this is in many ways what the NCAA does by refusing entry to former CHL players.

Only somewhat. The issue is two parts. One is that the NCAA wrongly considers the CHL leagues to be professional. The other is that the NCAA has is being on the same team as players under professional (NHL) contracts. It's the same thing in many other sports where (notably mostly European) players are held out for a number of games if not declared outright ineligible based on some of their teammates being professional players even if the player himself is still amateur.

Okay. The guy that created this thread is a perfect example of a little canadian kid that have grown up listning to Don Cherry. Cant you see how he how he ruins your kids?

Well as someone who listens to Cherry for the laughs instead of taking what he says as gospel I will tell you, Don Cherry is like a violent video game. You can let your kids watch him, but you need to explain Cherry's racism and the right views of someone living in a modern society. It's OP's parents fault!

If all foreigners would not play in the CHL, chances are a lot of the NCAA Canadian Players would be playing in the CHL.

You might want to go take a look at the ages "a lot of the NCAA Canadian players" are committing at. Not every Canadian that goes south does so at 18. I know it may seem hard to believe, but some Canadians take the NCAA route because they aren't ready to play CHL at 16 or 17. If anything, banning imports will just increase the number of 18 rookies who likely aren't World Junior caliber anyway.

I'm not a Canadian, but I'm sure many Team Canada fans agree that the WJC is a much more exciting and entertaining event now that there are multiple competitive countries and it's not Canadian domination year after year. Even though Finland had a disappointing campaign this year I really enjoyed the tournament because there were so many tight and entertaining games.

Only somewhat. The issue is two parts. One is that the NCAA wrongly considers the CHL leagues to be professional. The other is that the NCAA has is being on the same team as players under professional (NHL) contracts. It's the same thing in many other sports where (notably mostly European) players are held out for a number of games if not declared outright ineligible based on some of their teammates being professional players even if the player himself is still amateur.

The NCAA has been softening a bit on the issue lately, but we're still a long way away from CHL players being considered IMO.

If NCAA allows CHL players to be considered, the CHL will be in big trouble. Full-ride scholarships? Only the top 5 draft picks will stay. Anyone who isn't good enough to to be a top pick, would be stupid not to get a degree. The only reason more don't go to the NCAA is because they want to elevate their game when they are 16.

In the context of this argument, no Canadians in the NCAA wouldn't matter at all.

You really think? How many players from Canada come here for the education also? Lots I bet you. Isn't Joey Juneau some sort of rocket scientist and went to RPI because he could go to one of the premier engineering schools in the world and play in a great hockey league at the same time. How many other Canadians have done the same as Juneau? How many Canadians play in the NCAA because they developed slowly,not chosen for the CHL but took off once they got to the NCAA and made the NHL? Let me tell you .... tons. I believe the NHL is about 30% NCAA players. It't not easy to make the NHL and stay in the NHL for a long time, some people realize that and set themselves up for the future by going to a US college. Most NHL players do not even make the big bucks that you see making the headlines.

Hey maybe the US shouldn't stop there, maybe we should deny Canadians access to US colleges for hockey but also block you from all our developmental leagues for baseball, basketball, football and whatever sport have you.

Which country do you think is going to win the block the scholastic/scholarship athlete from which country?

This would hurt Canada more than it will hurt the USA and that's a fact.

The NCAA doesn't discriminate on national basis. Canadians are welcome to follow the same rules as Americans.

Yes I'm aware they are welcome given they follow a specific set of rules. I do find the NCAA's archaic rules to be protectionist as it relates to hockey and the CHL though. The pittance that CHL players make should hardly make them ineligible. Clearly the NCAA doesn't come right out and limit the number of Canadians, but I can't help but think they are happy to keep loads of 20 year old former CHL players out of their leagues, even though many would be superior hockey players to many of the Americans filling out those teams.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveG

Only somewhat. The issue is two parts. One is that the NCAA wrongly considers the CHL leagues to be professional. The other is that the NCAA has is being on the same team as players under professional (NHL) contracts. It's the same thing in many other sports where (notably mostly European) players are held out for a number of games if not declared outright ineligible based on some of their teammates being professional players even if the player himself is still amateur.

The NCAA has been softening a bit on the issue lately, but we're still a long way away from CHL players being considered IMO.

Appreciate the articles. My issue is them considering the CHL to be a professional league. The NCAA is pretty ridiculous in the ways that they enforce their rules, so it is hard to figure out where they're even coming from in man cases, but I can't help but think that protecting spots for Americans is part of their reasoning. No issue with them not accepting drafted players, as those guys can just play out their junior career and move on to professional hockey. In any event it's not really a significant hindrance to Canadian player development, just an observation.

With regard to the main topic, I would say that the CHL should increase the import cap. If not this, then teams should be able to choose between one of their 20 year olds or an extra foreign player.

If NCAA allows CHL players to be considered, the CHL will be in big trouble. Full-ride scholarships? Only the top 5 draft picks will stay. Anyone who isn't good enough to to be a top pick, would be stupid not to get a degree. The only reason more don't go to the NCAA is because they want to elevate their game when they are 16.

It would hurt but I'm not sure it would be as bad as some think. If anything it might do a some damage to the AHL and a lot of damage to the lower pro leagues (ECHL, SPHL, etc.) since there's no age restriction on NCAA players. I can easily see much of that going to guys who went unsigned by their NHL teams after being drafted once their CHL eligibility is up. The option basically already exists for a lot of these guys though since they can always play junior A until graduating HS then take the NCAA route. Aside from Towes and Turris most of the top talents still take the CHL route in recent years.

Yes I'm aware they are welcome given they follow a specific set of rules. I do find the NCAA's archaic rules to be protectionist as it relates to hockey and the CHL though. The pittance that CHL players make should hardly make them ineligible. Clearly the NCAA doesn't come right out and limit the number of Canadians, but I can't help but think they are happy to keep loads of 20 year old former CHL players out of their leagues, even though many would be superior hockey players to many of the Americans filling out those teams.

Appreciate the articles. My issue is them considering the CHL to be a professional league. The NCAA is pretty ridiculous in the ways that they enforce their rules, so it is hard to figure out where they're even coming from in man cases, but I can't help but think that protecting spots for Americans is part of their reasoning. No issue with them not accepting drafted players, as those guys can just play out their junior career and move on to professional hockey. In any event it's not really a significant hindrance to Canadian player development, just an observation.

With regard to the main topic, I would say that the CHL should increase the import cap. If not this, then teams should be able to choose between one of their 20 year olds or an extra foreign player.

I don't disagree. However I don't think it's about nationality so much as they don't want 20 year old players coming in as freshman. The rules are different for hockey compared to every other sport. There is a reason.

You really think? How many players from Canada come here for the education also? Lots I bet you. Isn't Joey Juneau some sort of rocket scientist and went to RPI because he could go to one of the premier engineering schools in the world and play in a great hockey league at the same time. How many other Canadians have done the same as Juneau? How many Canadians play in the NCAA because they developed slowly,not chosen for the CHL but took off once they got to the NCAA and made the NHL? Let me tell you .... tons. I believe the NHL is about 30% NCAA players. It't not easy to make the NHL and stay in the NHL for a long time, some people realize that and set themselves up for the future by going to a US college. Most NHL players do not even make the big bucks that you see making the headlines.

Hey maybe the US shouldn't stop there, maybe we should deny Canadians access to US colleges for hockey but also block you from all our developmental leagues for baseball, basketball, football and whatever sport have you.

Which country do you think is going to win the block the scholastic/scholarship athlete from which country?

This would hurt Canada more than it will hurt the USA and that's a fact.

Nevermind there are 8 US based CHL teams.

I said in the context of the argument, as in it wouldn't really hurt the development of Canadian players if they weren't allowed in the NCAA, because they would still have the CHL. Wasn't referring to the education side of it at all.